Optimizing Your App Search

How To Optimize Your App Search?

How To Optimize Your App Search

So you've chalked out your comprehensive mobile strategy, defined the app value preposition and also created your app. So much of detailing and yet it is just the beginning. The real task starts with the marketing of the app.

One obvious way is to directly tell the consumers about your app through advertising, online advertising, social media publicity, word of mouth etc. Another important way would be to rise the listings in Apple's App Store and Anroid's Google Play. This would require systematic optimization of App Store and Google Play similar to search engine optimization (SEO) for web.

What to do and how?

Keywords: Carefully choose your keywords. Think of logical keywords that can be associated with your app. Also take help from Google Ad-words Keywords Planner. Spying on competition's keywords can also give you a fair idea of the exact keywords you want for your app.

App Description: The description of your app should be carefully scripted to add all the strategically important keywords and still be convincing enough for a potential user.

Encourage Reviews: Reviews, especially good reviews, can play a major role in app search optimization. If there are bad reviews, address them in the same forum. This will create goodwill amongst users and potential users.

App Usage: The more your users use the app, the better the ranking that you'll get in app stores. Send coupons, notifications and incentives to encourage app usage, which will improve your ranking on the app store.

On a macro level these points will help you in your App Search Optimization (ASO) both on App Store and Google Play. At the micro level there can be some fine differences on specific points but overall for both the platforms any feature that helps the user is considered great ASO.

App: To Fee Or Not To Fee

Which is better for business in the long run: free app or paid app?

While businesses have come to terms with the fact that apps are fundamental to business success, the next big question remains – What kind of an app?

App strategy has to be woven around consumer interests – what will give value to the end user? Or, why would the consumer use this app? App strategy would be a fine balance in value derived, both to the consumer and the company. And while putting the value component on paper the dilemma most businesses face is whether to make the app free or chargeable.

There is no absolute answer to the question above. Although a paid app can seem like a huge monetizing opportunity, but what if consumers do not find value and abandon the app. On the other hand what if there are many downloads, wouldn’t that be like an opportunity lost? The only way to an answer to this is by doing an in-depth analysis of the marketplace, user base and company requirements and then arrive at a logical solution that balances all three.

Understanding Trends

The app landscape has drastically changed. To begin with, most apps were paid apps. There were just a handful of apps that came free. In most case there used to be a limited version of the app that was free, the full-feature version was often charged for. But this has changed over the years. The market is now flooded with free apps. There are different revenue models these apps follow. Some apps encourage in-app purchases, some cash on ads and some on both.

Free Apps

Free apps are the most popular style of app marketing. With growing market clutter consumers would rather have it free than pay for it. With free apps though, companies present the consumer with numerous opportunities to make in-app purchases or flood the consumer with advertisements throughout the app usage time. Companies need to be sensitive while making aggressive sales calls with both the methods mentioned. Although free apps can be a great boon to retailers as more the app usage, more the revenue.

Paid Apps

It is indeed amazing how premium or paid apps make a significant chunk in the app market despite of the market being flooded with free apps. Here are a few points to consider before you decide to make your app paid.

• The app is marketed by a premium vendor.
• Consumers get value that outweighs the burden of price.
• The app falls short of supply as compared to the demand in the market.

The Takeaway

The key to a successful strategy is one that provides value to the consumer. So if a paid app can justify the value preposition, it makes sense to have a paid app. Similarly if a free app can successfully monetize though ads or in-app purchases without putting the user, having a free app would be preferable.

Deeplinks

Understanding & Implementing Deeplinks.

The Issue

There’s an app installed on your mobile phone. While checking your email you notice that there’s an email from the service provider of that app. You click on the link in the email and the browser opens a login page. If the app already exists on your mobile phone, shouldn’t the link connect you to the app instead of taking you through the login process again?

The Reason

Although everything Internet might seem pretty much the same but mobile web and mobile apps are worlds apart. The HTML/HTTP URL does not work on the apps. Because apps are dedicated independent programs, the web links cannot communicate from inside of the program.

The solution

Deep Linking is a technology that links the two worlds, mobile app and mobile web, allowing standard web links (HTTP) to open specific sections in the app. Deep Linking allows enriched app experiences. Deep Linking links all digital marketing with the app, app to app, ad to app, SMS to app, QR to app, Email to app, web to app and social media to app.

Deep Linking opens doors to a whole world of digital marketing opportunities. This also opens a whole new world of personalized customer service. It becomes easier to tap surfing pattern and consumer behavior across platforms.